Canada Bread closing Halifax bakery, 105 employees affected

HALIFAX – A bakery in Halifax that employs more than 100 people will close later this year.

Canada Bread Co. announced Monday it would close the 50,000 square-foot facility in November, stating that its products could be produced at other bakeries in the region “where there is available capacity with improved speed and efficiency.”

“Our industry is under mounting competitive pressure to become more efficient and this means we have to make very difficult decisions,” said Barry McLean, president of Canada Bread, in the statement. “While this is the business reality, it is hard to make the necessary changes, particularly in a community where we have such a strong presence. We are doing everything possible to ease the impact on our people.”

The bakery produces products under brand names including Ben’s, Dempster’s and Villaggio.

Workers affected by the closure will receive severance packages and encouraged to seek employment at other facilities operated by Canada Bread.

Operations at the Halifax plant, where 105 employees work, will wind down as early as June as production is consolidated at bakeries in Moncton and Woodstock, N.B.